


And Other Israeli Snacks

by LoveChilde



Series: Intercultural Snack Exchange [2]
Category: NCIS
Genre: Candy, Collection: Purimgifts Day 3, Gen, Interculturalism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-23
Updated: 2013-02-23
Packaged: 2017-12-03 09:32:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/696833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoveChilde/pseuds/LoveChilde
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Having been introduced to American candy, Ziva decided to introduce Tony to some favorite Israeli snacks and candy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	And Other Israeli Snacks

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sandyk](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sandyk/gifts).



A year after she started working with NCIS, a year after she moved to the US, Ziva declared that she’d tried all the American snacks and candy she cared to try, and now it was her turn to introduce people to Israeli candy and snacks. And by ‘people’, she meant Tony, because McGee was still afraid of her, and she was a little afraid of Abby, herself. And Gibbs was never an option, so Tony it was.

1\. Bamba

“Ok, so what’s this?” Tony looked at the yellow vaguely c-shaped things on the plate Ziva held out. 

“It’s called bamba, it’s a peanut-based snack. I think you can actually find similar things here...if you look hard enough.” It was mixed in with small salted sticks and M&Ms on the plate, covering everything else with yellow peanut flavored dust. “Most Israeli children who do not suffer from peanut allergies grow up on this stuff.” Ziva added, and half-smiled. “It’s also something people serve at children’s parties, often mixed in with other snacks.” 

“Ok, I’ll bite.” Bracing himself, Tony took one and tried it. “Ugh. Sticky.” That stuff had to have gotten smeared all over his teeth, too. Very inelegant. “They feed this to kids?”

“Sure. Try to just let it melt in your mouth, it’s less work getting it out of your teeth after.” Ziva ran her tongue across her front teeth in demonstration, and somehow Tony found that a little hot. 

“Huh. Ok.” He tried another. ‘I think I’ll stick with Cheetos, if it’s all the same to you.” But he took a third bamba, and then a fourth. 

“Have I mentioned that it’s a true test of willpower to only have one of these?” Ziva snickered, and Tony knew he was lost. 

2\. Krembo

“No no no, this is all wrong!” Ziva pushed away the oddly shaped cookie she’d picked up earlier that day, her face full of disappointment and some disgust. “It tastes all wrong. Oof.” 

“What do you mean, tastes all wrong?” Seeing as she didn’t want it, Tony snagged the Mallomar and scarfed it down in three bites. “Tastes the same as these things always taste.” 

“Well, ours taste different. This one has marshmallow in it, where ours has sweetened egg foam.” Ziva explained, “and the way you just ate that might’ve gotten you in trouble with Krembo traditionalists. There’s been an ongoing argument about whether to eat it from the cookie side or the chocolate side since before Israel became a state. This-” She indicated the Mallomar’s discarded wrapper, “is a pale imitation of true candy perfection. I will try to acquire some real Krembo and demonstrate.” 

It took her a while, and the six-pack that made it to the NCIS offices was a little bit battered, but they all tried it, just to make Ziva happy. Gibbs declared it too sweet, Abby loved it, McGee reserved judgement, and Tony polished off Ducky’s as well, since the doctor didn’t want it.

He had to agree that in this case, the Israeli version was better. 

3\. Pop-rocks chocolate

“You’re kidding me.” 

“I am not. I do not ‘kid’, Tony, not when it comes to chocolate.” 

The red-wrapped tablet on chocolate, standard (for Israel, anyway) 100g size, lay on Tony’s desk. He looked at it as if it was some new kind of bomb. 

“But...But that makes no sense.” He looked up at her, a slight edge of desperation in his voice. “Who’d put pop rocks in chocolate?”

“Israelis.” She shrugged.

“Figures.” He groused. “Only Israelis would make explosive chocolate. It’s...It’s...”

“Just try some. I promise, it will not explode in your stomach.”

“See, I wasn’t even worried about that before you mentioned the possibility...” But Tony, never one to back down when candy was on the line, bravely nibbled the corner of one cube. “Huh. Tingly.” He waited a moment, then popped the whole thing in his mouth. His eyes widened, and he blinked hard and gulped.

“It’s like there’s a party in my mouth and somebody just set off fireworks.” He choked out. Ziva grinned and broke off a cube for herself. 

“Great, isn’t it?”

“Only Israelis. Just...only you guys.” Tony’s mouth was too full of chocolate to elaborate further.

**Author's Note:**

> Top left- bamba, top right- Krembow, bottom- pop rocks chocolate


End file.
